Combined guide and scraper



April 8, 1941. J. c. DONALDSON COMBINED GUIDE AND SCRAPER Filed Feb. 23, 1940 12 CI 6117072 a/Zdaon Patented Apr. 8, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COREINED GUIDE AND SCRAPER John C. Donaldson, Longview, Tex.

. Application February 23, 1940, Serial No. 320,489

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in combination well string guides and paraihn scrapers and more particularly to a combination tool of this character which may be mad-e of any suitable material and in skeletal form so that it may function efficiently without adding materially to the weight of the well string.

One of the objects of the invention is to supply a string guide and parafiin scraper of sectional form which may be readily attached to or detached from a rod string or the like.

Another object is to provide a sectional guide and scraper, the sections of which may be identical in shape and so constructed as to permit the sections to be fixedly or slidab-ly connected to the well string.

A further object is to furnish a tool of the character described having a configuration capable of evenly guiding the string and adapted to cut paraffin from the inner surface of a tubing, casing or the like.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved guide and. scraper shown arranged on a well string which is illustrated in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but taken at right angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view with the tool arranged in tubing or casing, shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a washer which may be used with the structure, if the latter is to be slidably connected to the well string instead of fixedly secured thereto.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates the guide and scraper shown encircling a rod or tubing string 6, and designed to guide the latter in tubing or casing 'l. I prefer to make the tool of sectional form to facilitate attaching it to or removing it from the well string, and it will be noted that each section preferably consists of oppositely extending co-planar wings 8 and 9, the outer edge portion of the former terminating in an elongated hook I0 adapted to receive the edge ll of the wing 9 of the other section. The wings of the sections interlocked in this manner, may be fixedly secured together by any suitable means such as bolts [2, and if the tool is to slide on the string, Washers It (Big. 4) may be arranged on the bolts between the wings so as to suitably space the latter.

Between its wings, each section is corrugated and consists of two or more flutes or corrugations 14, the ridge 15 of each corrugation being preferably of the same curvature as the inner surface of the pipe or tube 1 with whichth-e tool is used, and as each ridge is relatively wide, it is. obvious that the tool will steadily guide thestring and prevent wobbling thereof.

At the inner portion of each corrugation, there is a supporting part [6 designed to cooperate with the well string, and if the tool sections are made of resilient metal or the like, it will be understood that the corrugations may give or yield slightly to permit the ridges 15 to clear joints in the tubing or casing when the well stringis inserted or removed. To the same end, the upper and lower ends of the wings are beveled as at H and I8, and the ends of the corrugations are tapered so as to form substantially V-shaped cutting edges .20 at each end of each corrugation or, flute. Obviously the edges 20 will facilitate the cutting of paraifin from the inner surface of the pipe I, and if a number of the tools are arranged on the string with the corrugations of onein staggered relation relative to the corrugations of the others, the entire inner surface of the tubing or casing I may be scraped whenever the string is introduced into or removed from the well. Be-

sides, the staggered arrangement of the tools will 7 facilitate the guiding of the string.

This tool can be manufactured out of plate metals or cast metals, Bakelite, hard rubber, or plastic materials, or any other materials suitable for the purpose. It can also be made in lengths desired by the operators, using any number of bolts or the like at each side. It can also be manufactured in various diameters both inside and outside to suit the rods or whatever member it is to be clamped to or fastened around, and to accommodate the tubing, casing, liners or pipe with which it is to act as a guide. It will also be understood that both hooks II) can be placed on one section if desired, but I prefer to arrange one hook on each section so that the sections may be made as uniform units.

While the corrugations or flutes are shown as vertical, it is obvious that they might be inclined from top to bottom or arranged in various positionsl In other words, it is manifest that the invention is not limited to the details of the illustrated construction. Since they may be variously modified. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly, since various features may be used to advantage in different combinations and sub-combinations without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the following claims. For example, the tool can be used without being attached to a rod or tubular string.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A well string tool comprising a tubular structure designed to encircle a well string and comprising corrugations having hollow ridge portions and valley portions, the ridge portions being arcs of a common circle, and each ridge having a width extending along said circle for several degrees.

2. A well string tool comprising a tubular structure designed to encircle a well string and comprising corrugations having hollow ridge portions and valley portions, the ridge portions being arcs of a common circle, and each ridge having a width extending along said circle for several degrees, some of the valley portions also being of arc shape and the arcs being positioned along a smaller circle than the first-mentioned circle. 3. A well tool comprising an elongated tubular structure having corrugations extending lengthwise thereof, said corrugations including hollow ridges and valley portions arranged between said ridges, an end of one of said ridges having a substantially V-shaped cutting edge.

4. A well tool comprising a tubular structure having corrugations extending from end to end thereof, said corrugations including hollow ridges and valley portions arranged between said ridges, each end of each ridge having a substantially V-shape edge.

5. A well tool comprising a tubular structure of sectional form, each section being of fluted shape and having wing-shaped side portions and crimped portions intermediate the wings, and means detachably securing the wings together.

6-. A well tool comprising a tubular structure of sectional form, each section being of fluted shape and having wing-shaped side portions and crimped portions intermediate the wings, and

means detachably securing the wingstogether, the last-mentioned means including a hook forming part of a wing of one section and into which the edge of a wing of another section extends.

'I. A well tool comprising a tubular structure of sectional form, each section having wingshaped side portions and corrugations connecting the wings, and means detachably securing the wings together, said corrugations extending from end to end of the tubular structure and comprising hollow ridge portions and valley portions, each ridge portion forming an arc-shaped bearing surface adapted to slidably engage the inner surface of a tubular well line, the arcshaped portions being struck from a center 00- inciding with the center of the tubular structure.

8. A well tool comprising a tubular structure of sectional form, each section having wingshaped side portions and corrugations connecting the wings, and means detachably securing the wings together, said corrugations extending from end to end of the tubular structure and comprising hollow ridge portions and valley portions, each ridge portion forming an arc-shaped bearing surface adapted to slidably engage the inner surface of a tubular well line, the arc-shaped portions being struck from a center coinciding with the center of the tubular structure, and the ends of the ridges having substantially V-shaped edges.

9. A combined guide and paraifin scraper comprising an elongated tubular structure of sectional form having external spaced ridges extending lengthwise of the structure, each ridge having notched ends forming substantially V- shaped cutting edges.

10. A well tool comprising a tubular structure having a bore therethrough from end to end and designed to encircle a well string, said structure comprising external corrugations having hollow ridge portions and valley portions extending longitudinally of the structure from end to end of the latter, the ridge portions being arcs of a common circle, and each ridge having a width extending along said circle for several degrees.

JOHN C. DONALDSON. 

